


Healing Beats

by Akiko_Natsuko



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Friendship, Gift Giving, Hurt/Comfort, Music, Overworking, Surprises, Tinkering, healing music, inventing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 19:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18817372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Genji’s expression was stony as he came to a halt outside Lúcio’s room. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be here. After all, he was just as worried about Lúcio as the others, especially after a narrow miss on their last mission had landed the medic in the infirmary for the past two days, but he wasn’t sure how to feel about being volunteered to be the one to find out what was going on.





	Healing Beats

**Author's Note:**

> This was my piece of the Lúcio Zine, which was a great project to be part of.

   Lúcio was tinkering with his skates when he felt someone drop into the seat beside him, and he didn’t need the clang of metal or the soft whoosh of vents to know it was Genji. At some point, it had become an unspoken rule that Genji would sit next to him if they were on a mission together, and he glanced at the ninja from the corner of his eye. At first, he had thought nothing of it, after all, they got on well in their downtime, sharing a similar sense of humour and a love for teasing Hana. However, there was something more about the way Genji leant into him, a tension that was rarely apparent at any other time becoming visible as it melted away. Lúcio had noticed it weeks ago, but he hadn’t known how to approach it especially when Genji didn’t seem willing to discuss it, but today he was feeling bold, and Genji seemed to be sinking into him more than usual, a cool, comforting weight against his side and he paused in his work to look at him.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Genji mumbled, but there was something about his voice and the fact that he hadn’t lifted his helmet that rang false and Lúcio frowned, eyes sweeping over the armoured figure, noting the fresh dents with concern.

“If you’re hiding another injury I will let Angela loose on you.” It wasn’t an idle threat. Both Angela and Lúcio had ample experience of their teammates trying to hide injuries, and Genji was one of the worst for it. Lúcio tried to be stern about it, but he was always more concerned with fixing the problem, so he had started using Angela as a threat, something that usually proved efficient as no one ever wanted to face her wrath. Apart from today apparently, as Genji had tensed at the threat.

“I’m fine.” It wasn’t quite a snarl, but it was close, and Lúcio must’ve flinched because he sighed before adding more softly. “I’m just tired, and your music is relaxing.”

It was a lie.

    However, Lúcio didn’t know how to force the truth out of him, so he sighed and nodded, fingers slipping to the controls as he amped up the music. It wasn’t loud enough to disturb the others who were already beginning to drop off to sleep, but it had Genji settling against him once more, practically melting against him and Lúcio couldn’t stop glancing at him even as he turned back to his skate.

He needed to talk to Angela.

****

    Lúcio fought back a yawn as he rubbed at his eyes, grimacing at the grainy feeling before moving his fingers to his temples, kneading softly at his skin as he tried to ease the headache that was building steadily. The dull throbbing had been almost constant over the last few days, and he knew even without Angela’s admonishments that afternoon that what he really needed was a good night’s rest, but he was reluctant to sleep just yet. He was so close… his massaging faltered, and he opened his eyes, startled to find that he’d closed them as his attention shifted back to the small device that had been consuming his thoughts for the past few weeks. It was slowly starting to come together on the workbench he’d crammed into the corner of his room, not wanting to share this project with anyone just yet and while it was still far from finished, it was getting closer to being functional.

   Letting his hands fall back to the desk, he glanced at the clock. It was late, and he knew that he would be better just heading to bed at this point, especially with a mission the next day. However, every time he tried to convince himself to just turn in for the night, his mind would flash back to that flight, and to the conversation with Angela that had followed their return to the Watchpoint.

_“Genji…” Angela looked older than her years as she met Lúcio’s eyes, her gaze distant for a moment before she focused with a sigh. “That kind of intervention doesn’t come without a cost. He’s alive, and despite what some people might believe, including himself, he is still more human than machine.”_

_“But…?”_

_“It’s not easy to maintain a balance, and it hurts him,” Angela whispered, and Lúcio closed his eyes, the strange tension in Genji now making sense, as did the way he sought out his music even when uninjured. “Some days are better than others, but the pain is constant.”_

_“And there’s nothing you can do?”_

_“Not without interfering with the mechanical parts and possibly making things worse.” Lúcio frowned, while he trusted her words, he didn’t want to believe that there wasn’t something that could help. Something that he could do. “Lúcio-,” Angela was studying him, worrying at her bottom lip for a moment before adding softly. “He doesn’t like talking about this, so…”_

_“I’ll keep it to myself.”_

     He’d promised not to talk about it, and he hadn’t, just making sure to play his music that little bit louder when Genji was nearby and trying to be around him as much as possible now that he had reason to believe it helped. But, it wasn’t enough. They couldn’t be together all the time, missions and Lúcio’s concert commitments meaning that days could pass without them catching more than a glimpse of them, and it had plagued his thoughts for days, making him restless and irritable, because he wanted to help.

    In the end, it had been Hana who’d given him the idea after a mission had left her covered head to foot in heavy bruising after an ejection error had launched her into a wall. She’d been wincing and limping, until he’d pulled her into his side and amped up his music, grinning as she moaned too loudly in her relief. They’d been halfway home when she’d finally pulled away, still bruised but not in as much pain, muttering about how she wished she could bottle his music for when she got rattled around in her mech. It had been like being hit by a bolt of lightning, and he’d grabbed her in a tight hug, not answering her bemused questions, his mind already racing with ideas.

   Hidden in the back of his wardrobe, he still had the few notebooks he’d been able to salvage from his father’s office, and for the first time since the uprising, he found himself pouring over them. While their goals were different, the methods would be similar, and there was something comforting about reading his father’s words, about being able to run his fingers over the messy scrawl and feel that little bit closer to him. Still, even with his father’s notes, it had been harder than he’d anticipated translating his healing technology into the image he had in his head, which was why he was still here, nearly a month later, with a pounding headache and the pieces only just starting to come together. 

    Smothering another yawn, and with a last glance at the clock, he reached for the pieces again, telling himself that he’d work for another half hour and then sleep, wanting to try and get a little bit further.

He never went to bed.

****

     Genji’s expression was stony as he came to a halt outside Lúcio’s room. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be here. After all, he was just as worried about Lúcio as the others, especially after a narrow miss on their last mission had landed the medic in the infirmary for the past two days, but he wasn’t sure how to feel about being volunteered to be the one to find out what was going on. He’d expected Hana to claim that duty, as she and Lúcio spent a lot of their downtime together, often seeming to talk in a language all their own, but there had been a strained smile when she’d refused, pointing out that Lúcio had been avoiding her for the past few weeks. Genji had argued that the medic had been avoiding everyone, but he hadn’t been able to argue when both Hana and Winston had disagreed – pointing out that despite everything, Lúcio had still been finding the time to sit with Genji, even if he had been quieter than normal, distracted by whatever was going on.

And, so here he was.

     Still, not sure he was the right person to be doing this he reached out and rapped sharply on the door, half-hoping not to get an answer as it would mean that Lúcio was finally getting some rest. There was a pause, and then he heard movement, eyebrows climbing higher as he listened. It sounded like Lúcio had stumbled over something, and there was a clatter of metal that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in one of the Junker’s rooms and the medic was fumbling with the door, and Genji knew he was scowling again by the time the door opened.

“Genji…” Lúcio blinked up at him as he slumped against the door frame, glancing down the corridor for a moment before focusing on Genji again.  “Is there another mission?”

“No.” Genji shook his head, biting back the urge to say that even if there were Lúcio wouldn’t be going on it, eyes roving over the dark shadows and the exhausted slump of Lúcio’s shoulders even though he could make out the soft strains of his speed boost music coming from behind him. “What is going on?” It sounded blunt even to his own ears, and he winced as Lúcio jolted at his tone. “You don’t screw up on missions. You don’t avoid people, and everyone is worried about you.” Guilt met that statement, followed by a furtive glance back into the room and sensing an opening, he added in a softer tone.  “I’m worried.” It was rawer than he’d intended but honest and Lúcio swallowed before taking a step backwards, awkwardly waving him inside.

   Lúcio’s room which had always been tidy apart from musical notations and equipment lying around, and the growing collection of frog memorabilia that his fans and Hana kept giving him, but now it was a mess. Every flat surface covered in scrawled notes, and there was a new workbench crammed in the corner and covered in metal parts and wiring, and it was that which Lúcio was making a beeline for, the slight weaving betraying his exhaustion.

“It’s not quite finished yet,” Lúcio muttered as he picked something from the mess and turned to Genji, holding it out, avoiding his gaze as Genji took it curiously.      

“What is it?” He asked, staring at the device. It clearly wasn’t finished, as it was missing some casing, allowing him to see the delicate wiring underneath and turning it, he realised that it looked like a cross between a vintage mp3 and one of the sound-cubes that Hana used for her streams.

“A portable version of that,” Lúcio pointed at where his own equipment was piled up, hesitating for a second before moving closer and indicating to the largest of the buttons on the top.  “Press that button.” Obediently Genji pressed the button, and the tiny device immediately lit up with a familiar golden glow as Lúcio’s healing music began to pour from the device, it was weaker than usual, but focused and Genji couldn’t hold back a sigh as he felt it curling around him, soothing the persistent ache in his body. “It still needs a proper casing, and it seems to lose some of its power when you play it through headphones, and the batteries are…” Genji pulled his attention away from the relief that came with the absence of pain, fingers curling around the device which he now realised was made from familiar silvers and green and he swallowed, realisation dawning as he thought back to how Lúcio had taken the time to sit with him, music always playing. _He knows, and…_

“You made this for me?”


End file.
